Sometimes you have to show a little skin. This reminds boys of being naked, and then they think of sex. Alicia Silverstone graced the silver screen in Clueless, a movie that spoke to the mid-90′s zeitgeist. Alicia is one of my favorite vegans, and I really do need to get out there and buy her new book, The Kind Diet. Alicia touts the benefits of veganism, including weight loss, improved health, and general good karma. I think that it’s great that she is using her notoriety to promote a plant-based lifestyle, especially when there are so many celebrities who are happy to plug fast food restaurants and soft drinks. I could gush for days about Alicia, but this is my blog (her’s is here).

Two foods make my life worth living: chocolate and peanut butter. After my vegan month, I have no taste for milk chocolate. I crave the intense flavor of dark chocolate. This is great for me, because it takes much less to satisfy my monthly chocolate cravings. Another thing that I love is peanut butter. I love it so much that I can’t keep it in the house, because an entire jar can disappear in three days. However, I am a big believer that any successful, long term diet needs a little room for indulgence. So, I was very excited when I came across Alicia’s recipe for vegan peanut butter cups. This recipe uses earth balance, organic peanut butter, and dark-chocolate to create a dessert that is sinfully delicious. It makes a dozen peanut butter cups, so it would be perfect to give as a gift, or to bring into the office. Or I suppose you could eat all 12 yourself, but then you would pretty much be done eating for the day, just like when you get a chipotle burrito.

For sweetener, I used organic raw sugar, but you can tweak it to whatever your dietary restrictions might require. I used organic unsalted peanut butter and one of those huge 1 lb dark chocolate bars from Trader Joes (which is the cheapest way to buy dark chocolate). I ran into one hang up while melting the chocolate. Mine was very thick and did not easily pour over the peanut butter. I added a few extra tablespoons of soy milk, which seemed to do the trick. I love the idea of graham cracker crumbs in the peanut butter filling, because it perfectly mimics the taste and texture of Reese’s peanut butter cups.

This recipe was super easy to make, but the peanut butter cups look very impressive. I was very excited to serve these at my Valentines Day tea party, which featured a wide assortment of vegan baked goods. I crunched the numbers and my finished product had 160 calories per peanut butter cup. Like I said, these are good for a once in awhile treat.